Foreign Representative Office

For foreign investors newly entering the China market, setting up a foreign representative office is relatively a good bridge. The examination and approval procedure for a representative office is simple, without requiring registered capital. But a representative office cannot carry out operating activities directly; in fact, it can only carry out business liaisons, product introduction, market research and technical exchange on behalf of an offshore company within the scope of their operations. A representative office does not qualify as a legal entity, so its civil liability shall be undertaken by the offshore company it represents.

Requirements for Incorporation

• The foreign enterprise shall be registered lawfully in its host country
• The foreign enterprise shall have sound goodwill
• The foreign enterprise operates in a fixed location

Name of Representative Office

Country/Region Name+Company Name+(in proposed district) Representative Office
For example, Hong Kong Zhipeng Development Co., Ltd. (Shenzhen) Representative Office

Required Documents and Time for Incorporation

• Submission of attested certificate of registration (notarized by local solicitors or attested by the Chinese embassy or consulate to that location, or Hong Kong and Macau enterprises entrusted public notaries in China, to attest their certificates of registration). Documents in foreign languages, if translation is  necessary, shall be under the common seal of the translation firm.
• The offshore company's bank reference letter
• The proxies of chief representative and resident representative, and the curricula vitae and ID card of the chief representative, under the hand of the chairman or general manger of the enterprise abroad
• Lease contract of office premises and declaration of use of site
• 4 color photos of the chief representative
• Setting up a representative office requires a month or so

Operating Period

The statutory operating period of a foreign representative office is 3 years, and the duration of its business license is 1 year, so the representative office needs to postpone its registration for 60 days prior to the expiration of current business license.

Taxes and Fees involved in the Operation of Foreign Representative Office

If you would like further information concerning Foreign Representative Office Incorporation, please contact our professionals and we will provide you with free advisory.